WILSON, N.C. – Senior first baseman Will Davis came up with the game-tying two-run homer in the top of the ninth while junior left fielder Eric Shoemaker blasted the go-ahead two-run shot in the top of the eleventh as Pfeiffer University defeated Belmont Abbey 7-4 in the opening game of the 2010 Conference Carolinas baseball tournament. The fourth-seeded Falcons improve to 25-25 and will face the winner of Erskine/Barton on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. The Crusaders fall to 17-22 and face the victor of Mount Olive/Anderson tomorrow at 11:00 a.m.

Trailing by two entering the ninth, Preston Lyon started the inning with a single to left. Davis quickly followed with his round-tripper on a 1-2 pitch squaring the contest at three apiece. Both teams traded runs in the tenth as Myles Pearl picked up a RBI-single for the Falcons while Roberto Sanchez scored the game-tying run with his two-out RBI-double.

In the eleventh, Josh Strickland reached with a one-out infield single before Shoemaker belted his go-ahead dinger off of a 0-1 pitch. Insurance came later in the frame as Jesse Dunn scored on a Hunter Boehme RBI-single to right. Dunn reached with a double, right after Shoemaker lifted off.

Belmont Abbey held a 3-0 lead after five, riding the arm of starter Tyler Powell. Daniel Torrente put the Crusaders on the board with a sacrifice-fly in the fourth while Justin Vazquez delivered a two-run shot to right in the Abbey fifth. Pfeiffer’s first run came in the top half of the sixth as Zack Pou drove in Boehme with his groundout to second.

Luke Wilhelm earned the win in relief tossing 3.2 innings, allowing one run on two hits with five strikeouts. Both starters didn’t factor into a decision as Austin Campbell with 7.1 for the Falcons allowing three runs on eight hits while Crusader right-hander Powell with eight strong allowing one unearned run on four hits while fanning eight.